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Supreme Court 6-3 Upholds Idaho, West Virginia Trans Athlete Bans

7/5/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Supreme Court upheld Idaho’s and West Virginia’s bans on transgender athletes in schools by a 6-3 vote, rejecting Title IX claims.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a solo opinion that limited the 2020 Bostock ruling to employment and backed the bans.
ACLU senior counsel Joshua Block and state attorneys general Raúl Labrador and JB McCuskey said the opinion, crafted to confine the decision to sports, will guide bathroom and locker-room cases.

History

Historical Context

In 1996 the Supreme Court struck down Virginia Military Institute’s male-only admissions in United States v. Virginia, a 7-1 ruling that applied the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. The 2024 decision authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch revisits Title IX limits, citing that precedent while addressing state bans on transgender athletes and signals a new front in gender-rights litigation.

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Story summary

Supreme Court upheld Idaho’s and West Virginia’s bans on transgender athletes in schools by a 6-3 vote, rejecting Title IX claims.
Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote a solo opinion that limited the 2020 Bostock ruling to employment and backed the bans.
ACLU senior counsel Joshua Block and state attorneys general Raúl Labrador and JB McCuskey said the opinion, crafted to confine the decision to sports, will guide bathroom and locker-room cases.

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